Seven years for Aurora motorist in fatal hit and run

An Aurora man who fled the scene of a 2010 DUI crash that killed a Cicero woman and seriously injured her companion was sentenced to seven years in prison Wednesday, Kane County prosecutors said.

Lee R. Patterson III, 33, of the 1000 block of Assell Avenue, had pleaded guilty in February to aggravated DUI and to leaving the scene of the accident that killed 22-year-old Doreen Cardenas.

The incident happened about 2 a.m. on Oct. 25, 2010, in North Aurora. Police said Patterson struck Cardenas and a man she was dating in the 0-100 block of Grant Street. Patterson then fled in his van.

He turned himself in at the Aurora police station more than two hours later and was transported to North Aurora. Based on a blood draw taken later that morning, authorities estimate Patterson’s blood-alcohol level was between .10 and .18 at the time of the accident, over the legal limit of .08.

The man struck by the van, Pedro Navarro, now 25, suffered serious injuries, including a concussion, a fractured shoulder and a knee injury that will eventually require replacement of the joint, prosecutors said.

Judge James Hallock sentenced Patterson to four years in prison for leaving the scene of the accident and a consecutive three-year term for the aggravated DUI charge.

“Mr. Patterson may not have intended to harm anyone when he started his night, but his decision to drink alcohol to the point of impairment and then drive his van led to the tragic consequences for two families and has forever changed the course of his own life,” State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said.